Doha festival plans Arab film-making contest

Doha, February 18, 2010

The Doha Tribeca Film Festival (DTFF), which promotes the best of Arabic and international cinema, will introduce an Arab film competition for best Arab film and best Arab filmmaker in the second edition of the festival.

DTFF will hold the second edition of the festival from October 26 to 30 in Doha.

The second annual DTFF will build on the success of the inaugural Doha Tribeca Film Festival which showcased an internationally diverse and tightly curated film programme with a focus on Arab cinema, public participation through large community events, and educational filmmaking programmes.

A priority of the 2010 Festival will be to increase the Arab programming of the Festival slate and enhance educational initiatives year round and during the festival to uncover local and regional film talent, a statement said.

The festival will also feature two audience awards, one for Best narrative film and the other for best documentary film. The two Arab film competition prizes are each $100,000 and the audience awards each feature prize monies of $100,000.

The festival has called for entries for the 2010 Festival with submissions being accepted beginning on June 7.

“We look forward to building on the successes of the first Doha Tribeca Film Festival and providing a strong showcase of cinema for Qatari and international film audiences,” said Amanda Palmer, Executive Director of the Festival.

“The inaugural Festival showed us that film can do more than just entertain; it can educate, inspire and unite communities. To that end we are already busy with our year round educational programs which provide Qataris a platform to tell their stories to the world through the universal language of film,” she added.

Geoffrey Gilmore, Tribeca’s chief creative officer, said: “Last year we were able to see firsthand and be a part of the enthusiastic vibrant film community in and around Qatar.”

“All throughout the Festival people commented on the strength and quality of the Arab films; this lead us to add an Arab Filmmaking competition for the 2010 Festival to provide further support, awareness and audience development for Arab filmmakers and firmly place these films on the center stage,” Gilmore concluded. – TradeArabia News Service